You or Someone Like You
by Heroine of the Valley
Summary: A reluctlant, emotional 18yearold Jim returns to Symka5 in search of a bounty. But when he meets the Bounty, will he have second thoughts?
1. Red Wing

You or Someone Like You

**1-Red Wing**

Disclaimer: I do not own _Outlaw Star_. Before you ask, no this is not a sequel to 'Normal' or 'One O'clock Appointments', my 2 other _Outlaw Star_ fics.

Seven years have passed for the team of Outlaw Star. Not much had changed for them, but became the best team of bounty hunters anyone has ever heard of. And after all those years, Jim still dreamed and thought about his first true love, Hanmyo. He wondered where she was, why she didn't show up the second time. He came up with a bunch of explanations. Maybe he scared her off. She seemed like a shy girl. Or maybe she just had something important to take care off. Maybe one of her cats got sick, or both, or she did too. If she cared about him, she wouldn't just _not_ show up, would she?

"Jim, Jim, wake up, buddy--"

"Nuh-uh, wha?" He slowly opened his eyes to see a blurry Gene.

"We're landing on Symka5 in a few minutes," Gene said. "Just got word of a bounty."

"Who is it?"

"That's the thing," Gene muttered, "we don't know who it is. No picture, just a code name. We don't know if it's a man or woman. Red Wing."

"So why're we landing on Symka5?" Jim asked. "Could this Red Wing be there?"

"Fred told us one of his 'people' saw a ship with a symbol of a red wing heading there. Might as well check it out."

Though it was the place he saw his first real love and lost her, Jim didn't seem all that excited to go. What if he did see Hanmyo there, what would he say? And what if she didn't show up? He had a lot of mixed feelings. He groaned and looked at the ground.

"Hey, what's the matter?" Gene questioned, "you sick or something? I told Aisha not to--"

"I'm fine, Gene," Jim grumbled, "I'm fine. I'll just get ready then." He sat up and reached for some clothes as Gene walked out.

"I'm worried about Jim," Melfina said.

"He'll be all right," Suzuka insisted.

"I hope so," Melfina sighed.

"Yeah, me too," Aisha added, "when he's upset sometimes, he gets so moody!"

"You should talk, Aisha," Jim growled.

Aisha jumped, "oh, hello! How are you?"

"Fine," he groaned.

"Jim, if you don't want to go to Symka5," Melfina began, "you can stay here."

"It's all right," he said.

"We just remember that our last time at Symka5 wasn't very pleasurable for you."

"Positions, everyone," Gene instructed, "We'll be landing soon."

When they laded on Symka5, it looked about the same. "Well, let's see if we can find this Red Wing person and collect our bounty." Gene said. "Come on." The others followed him, but then Jim stopped.

"I'm going to go for a little drive," he said, hopping in his car, which was now improved.

"You're going on a little joyride when we can make millions?" Gene demanded.

"You find Red Wing," Jim said.

"Hey, Jim, I want to come too!" Aisha cried.

"Forget it," Jim told her, "I remember the last time you went for a ride in my car."

"I told you that was an accident!"

"Whatever," he muttered and zoomed away.

"I wonder what's bothering him," Melfina sighed.

"Leave him be," Suzuka instructed, "he needs to be alone. He's not a child anymore."

"I know," Melfina whispered.

They entered a bar and looked around. "Maybe this Red Wing is here," Gene said, taping his finger on his glass.

"Didn't Gillian have any information about this person?" Aisha asked.

"No," Melfina replied. "Nothing."

"Well this is going to be harder than I thought," Aisha sighed.

A man reached their table and put down a picture of a young girl. "Have you seen this girl? She's been missing for more than eight years."

"Can't say I have," Melfina said.

"Just who is she?" Gene questioned.

"She's blood to a very powerful associate of mine," he replied. "Have you seen this girl, then?"

"I might," he said. "Maybe if you told me if you heard of someone. Red Wing."

The man snatched the photo and put it in his inside pocket. He had a nervous expression of his face. Did this man know Red Wing? "Good day to you. Thank you for your time." He turned and left the bar.

Gene walked up to the bartender, "have you heard of a Red Wing?"

"No," he replied, polishing a glass. "I get a lot of people here but I don't' remember everyone's names."

Gene frowned; either everybody was lying, afraid of this Red Wing character whoever this Red Wing was, he or she was so good that no one knew who exactly he or she was.

Jim drove around in circles, not planning on stopping anywhere. He passed the fountain where he met Hanmyo for the third time and finally decided to pass through the gate. "Maybe she's here," he said. He walked inside, but it was empty. He sighed and splashed the water.

"Hanmyo, why didn't you come?" he demanded angrily. "I thought we were friends!" Right after he said that, he felt something hard and round at the back of his head. "What?"

"Don't move," a voice ordered.

Jim looked in the water. The face looked familiar. Too familiar. "Hanmyo!" she shouted. "It's you!" He turned quickly around to meet his old friend but she didn't act too friendly.

"I said don't move," she said.

"Wait…." He said, "Hanmyo?"

"I'm not Hanmyo," the girl said, though she did look so much like her.

She had the same hair and eyes as Hanmyo. But at a second, closer look, she didn't look much like Hanmyo at all. Hanmyo had a more child-like face, kind. Even though she'd be older now, Jim was sure Hanmyo would still look as kind as she always had been. Kind, child-like, innocent, sweet. But this face that stared him down did not look kind at all. It was hard, threatening. The girl's lips were turned into a scowl, as when Hanmyo's was always a smile. She wore a tight spandex suit that was sleeveless and on the right side of her bicep, a few inches past her shoulder was a tattoo of a red bat-like, creepy wing. There was a silver belt around her waist and two holsters on her thighs. On each side of her, were two angry, vicious looking dogs, growling with drool falling from their mouths full with sharp teeth.

"You're not Hanmyo," Jim mumbled. "You're--You're--"

"Correct."

"Red Wing!" he shouted, pointing at her tattoo. He reached for his communicator to contact Gene but one of her dogs came forward and bit hand and ripped out the communicator, breaking it in his jaws. Jim made a cry of shock and grabbed his bleeding hand. Now Jim was really in trouble. He had no communicator, no weapon. Why didn't he just stay on the ship? Why didn't he go with Gene and the others?

"Why?" Jim asked, "Why?"

"Tell me how you know Hanmyo," she commanded, "tell me where you are keeping her. You're holding her for ransom, aren't you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't be a fool!" she shouted. "You know Hanmyo and I want to know how. You kidnapped her, didn't you? I knew something like would happen to her. She left when Papa died. I told her not to go! Last I heard she joined the Anta Seven and--"

"Anta Seven?" he gasped, "she was a member of the Anta Seven?"

"Oh, don't act like you didn't' know!"

"I didn't!" Jim looked down at Red Wing's dogs. They looked so vicious. Hanmyo's cats looked so cute, so harmless. What was with Red Wing? What did she want? Then he realized what she had said and he put it with why she looked so much like Hanmyo, "wait, you and Hanmyo--"

"Hanmyo's my sister!" Red Wing shouted, "I've been searching for her eight years! I didn't find a trace. We searched for the Anta Seven but found out they were killed by bounty hunters or got lost in outer space. Hanmyo wouldn't listen to me. I told her she'd get hurt. She was only six when she left our home. But she said the Anta Seven could offer her a better life and tried to get me to join her, there was no way I'd join the likes of them! They were assassins!"

"Now you're an assassin," Jim muttered.

"No, just a girl looking for her long lost sister," Red Wing corrected, holding her gun level to Jim's chest, "a very, very angry girl."

Jim bit her lip. She was crazy too.

"Where's my sister?" Red Wing demanded. "Tell me now!"

"I--I don't know!" he shouted.

"You lie! You're holding her for ransom."

"I'm not. I haven't' seen her for eight years!" Jim cried. "I met her here, at this fountain when I was eleven. This was we're we first met! She was my friend; I cared about her!"

"Then where is she?"

"I already told you," he muttered, "I don't know where she is! We were going to meet here again but she didn't show up. I never saw her again, I swear!"

"So she must've left," Red Wing said, "you must've frightened her away. I don't think you're her type!"

"Well, that's funny since she said it was destiny that we met!" Jim argued.

"Destiny?" Red Wing laughed and her voice became hard and serious again. "I don't _believe_ in destiny."

"Well she did," he said. "For her twin, you're nothing like her at all."

"Maybe we should split up," Gene said. "Ask around."

"But my food just here!" Aisha said. "Give me a few seconds!" Aisha was right about a few seconds. She gulped down her food as if there were no tomorrow. "All done!"

Gene groaned, 'why do I have a Ctarl Ctarl on my team?'

"Boy that was good," Aisha said as she walked out. Suzuka left alone and Melfina went with Gene. Aisha walked around. "This place is boring. Why would anyone want to come here?" she wondered out loud, letting out a big yawn. In mid yawn, she stopped suddenly. "Meowr? What's that smell?" she started sniffing around. "There's something out here. Then as she caught the scent and analyzed it with her kitty senses, she started to snarl, her claws extracting.

"Oh?" Red Wing demanded. "Well, boy, ironic that we've crossed paths this way, hmm?" She held her gun steady. "The place where you met my sister--your _friend_. I wonder what Hanmyo would say now. What chances where there that we met here of all places? Maybe it was destiny that you met my sister--and maybe it is destiny that you die this way!"

"No, please!" Jim shouted.

Red Wing pulled the trigger. It went off. Jim's life flashed before his very eyes. Everything went too fast.

_To Be Continued_


	2. Searching

**You or Someone Like You 2**

**Searching**

I do not own the original characters of Outlaw Star.  

"NGGGNNNAAAAARRRR!"

Jim felt something whisk by his right shoulder, cutting his sleeve and nicking his skin.  When blood dripped from a scratch, he realized it was the bullet.  The bullet went through the statue, making another hole for the water to fall out of.  He became confused.  His vision went hazy; his hearing muddled.  He shook his head to clear his mind, try to bring something in.  He hobbled around the statue and plunged his bitten hand in the water.  Slowly, he could hear the sounds of growls, grunts, hisses and struggling.

"Huh?" He moved his head over.  He had been saved!  Aisha must've smelt his blood or the dogs, something or must've just been at the right place at the right time. "Aisha?"

She had clawed the pistol from Red Wing's hand and as Red Wing fussed over her hand; Aisha was facing off with Red Wing's dogs.  "You imbecile!" Red Wing shouted.  She looked around for her fallen pistol.  "I'll teach you to get in my way!"  She found it lying on the ground and bent to grab it.  "Fool!"

"A-Aisha!" Jim warned groggily. 

Just as she pulled the trigger, Aisha threw one of her dogs at Red Wing, making her shoot her own hound.  It made a short, high yelp.

"No!  Bane!"  Red Wing cried and tried again for Aisha.  This one got her and made her fall backward.  Luckily, she was an immortal Ctarl Ctarl and she had just eaten so she was all right.

"Is that all you got?" Aisha demanded, rising to her feet.

"An immortal Ctarl Ctarl?"  Red Wing gasped.

"That's right," Aisha said, "I suggest you beat it or you'll experience the full power of Lady Aisha!"

Red Wing however, did not budge.  She smirked.  "Well, let's just see how immortal you really are!"

"Aisha, no!" Jim shouted.

"Ha! My pleasure!"

But she didn't listen to him.  She transformed to her beast form and lunged to Red Wing.  Red Wing pulled out a device that looked somewhat like an electric razor with a fork.  Just as the white tiger form of Aisha pounced on her, Red Wing shoved the device in her side, pressed a button and sent a massive electric current through the animal.  It roared in pain and backed off.

"That was for Bane," she hissed and ran off and taking her other well dog with her, though he only looked half-alive.  "This isn't over!" she shouted over her shoulder.

"Yeah, go ahead and run, coward," Aisha squeaked, turning back to her cat-girl form.  "Man…what did she do to me?"

"No, wait, don't go!" Jim yelled but Red Wing was gone.  It was like losing Hanmyo again.

"Jim, are you all right?" Aisha asked, holding her side.  

"Think so."

She walked to him and started licking his face, "I'm so relieved!  If I didn't come she would've killed you!"

"Hey-hey, you're licking me!  Stop!  You're licking me!"

She stopped licking his face and noticed his hand.  "Your hand!" then she noticed his shoulder.  "Your shoulder!  You liar, you said you're all right, but you're hurt!"

"It's nothing," he insisted.

"Nothing?" she asked.  "Hey, you're not an immortal like me so you can't say it's nothing!"  She grabbed his healthy hand.  "Let's get you back to the Outlaw Star and leave.  We haven't found this Red Wing person yet."

"No, we can't leave yet!" he protested.

"Meowr?"

"That person you just saved me from was Red Wing!" he blurted.

"It was?" she asked.  "Well, why didn't you tell me so?"

"We can't kill this bounty!" he cried.  

"Are you crazy?  This bounty alone will give us enough money to fix the Outlaw Star up and buy us dinner for a year!"

"But we can't kill her," he said softly.  "We just can't.  She's her…sister."  

"Who?"

Jim collapsed and Aisha had to carry him to the Outlaw Star.

*****

"Red Wing did this?" Suzuka asked.

Aisha nodded.

"How did you know where he was?" Melfina questioned.

"I smelt Red Wing's hounds and Jim's blood," Aisha replied.  "I wasn't too far away from them."

"How come you didn't finish her off?" Gene demanded.

"What?  I didn't know she was Red Wing!" Aisha cried.  "I was too busy trying to protect Jim!"

"Let's keep looking for her," Gene ordered, "if we're lucky, maybe she's still at the station somewhere."

"No," Jim grunted, sitting up.

"Jim!" Melfina gasped.  "Are you okay?"

His hand and shoulder was bandaged.  He looked at the bandages and sighed.  "Red Wing is Hanmyo's sister."

"Who's Hanmyo?" 

"The last time we came to Symka5 I met a friend," he explained, "her name was Hanmyo.  We were going to meet each other again but she didn't show up.  I have to find out what happened to her.  That's what Red Wing is doing.  She's searching for Hanmyo and I want to help her.  Maybe if we work together, we'll find Hanmyo."

"Have you lost your mind?" Gene demanded, "She almost killed you!"

"Red Wing is just hurt!  She misses Hanmyo and I do too!" Jim cried.  "You just don't understand.  This bounty is different than the others.  All you care about is money!"

"Hey, you're the one who told me we have to keep the ship in good shape!"

"We'll get it another way," Jim said and turned around to put shoes on his feet and a shirt on his back.

"Jim, wait, save your strength," Melfina muttered.

"I'm fine," he said.

"Where are you going?" Aisha asked.

"To find Red Wing and try to help her."

"Hey!  You can't be serious," Aisha said.  If I didn't show up you'd be dead right now and I might not be there for you again!"

"It's okay, Aisha," Jim insisted.  "I just need to talk to her.  She's really not as dangerous as we all think."

Aisha raised an eyebrow, "oh, really?"

"Jim, if you want to do this, fine," Gene said, "but you're on your own.  Don't expect any help."

"No worries.  I can take care of myself."

*****

"Please don't tell me she's left," Jim muttered as he walked around, searching for Red Wing.  "I can't lose her too."  

"Have you seen this girl?" a man held a picture of a very familiar girl with violet hair in Jim's face.

Jim gasped, "I have!  Hanmyo!  Then you're in Red Wing's group, right?"

The man looked surprised.  "You've met Red Wing and you're still alive?"

"Listen, is she still here?  I want to help."

"Just tell me when you've seen her."

"A long time ago," Jim explained, "when I was around eleven.  I met her at a fountain at this station.  Please, if you're in Red Wing's group, can you take me to her?"

He sighed.  "Red Wing doesn't make deals with people."

"But I want to find Hanmyo too," he said.  "I want to help Red Wing."

"Red Wing is the cause to what happened to your hand," he said.  "I suppose your first meeting with her wasn't that pleasant.  What makes you think your second one will be any different?"

"I understand how Red Wing feels," he said.  "Please?"

He sighed and nodded, "fine, I'll take you to our ship.  But you'd better not breathe a word of this to anyone."

"You have my word."

"I hope for your sake," he said, "your word's any good."  He led Jim through ships that were lined in at a base.  He took him to a black ship with a red wing at the tail of the ship, what looked a lot like Red Wing's tattoo.  One of the wings of the ship was red and another was blue.

"The blue wing is supposed to represent Hanmyo," the man explained before Jim had to ask.  "That's what Red Wing used to call her sister."

"Blue Wing.  Red Wing."  Jim thought for a moment.  Did Hanmyo have a tattoo of a blue wing on her arm?

They entered the ship and found Red Wing tending to her injured dog.  Her back was turned to them.  She had acted cold, cruel and heartless but now, she looked very warm, kind and heartbroken.

"I lost Bane," she muttered to the associate assisting her  "Duke got lucky."

"You say a Ctarl Ctarl did this?" asked her assistant.

"Yes."  Duke whimpered and she cooed as she bandaged his leg.  "Shh, Duke, you'll be all right."

Jim felt his chest tighten up.  He was right.  Red Wing did in fact have a soft side.  However, she just seemed to show it to animals than to people.

"Red Wing, there is someone here to speak to you," said the man next to Jim.

"I'm busy, Brice."  Red Wing muttered.

"He says he knows Hanmyo."

"My name's Jim Hawking," Jim said.  "I didn't get a chance to tell you before."

Recognizing the voice, Red Wing spun around.  "You!"

"You know this boy?" The associate next to her asked.

"He's who cost me Bane," she muttered.  "What are you doing here?" she demanded Jim.  "Brice, why did you bring him here?"

"I want to help you find Hanmyo," Jim said.  "Maybe we'll find her quicker this way."

"I don't want or need your help," she growled, "because you and your Ctarl Ctarl friend I've lost my dog!"

"And I'm sorry about that."

"I won't let you stick around long enough for me to lose my other dog," she hissed, "now get out!"

"I need to know what happened to Hanmyo just as much as you do," Jim said.  "I'm not leaving. Aisha will not come this time, I promise.  I'm not going anywhere."

"You are one stubborn fool, aren't you?" she demanded.

"Almost as stubborn as you are," he said.

"Fine," she said.  "Follow me.  Brice, Otto, keep Duke comfortable.  This way."  She led him through a hall and into a room.  The bed in there gave it away that it belonged to her.  It didn't look quite cozy, however.

"Um, nice," he mumbled.

"Hey, if you--"

"I think it suits you."

She pulled out a clear box and went through it.  

"What are you looking for?"

"A picture of Hanmyo's ship," she replied.  "Have you seen it?"

"She hasn't showed me her ship," he said, "but I might have and never knew it.  Red Wing isn't you real name, isn't it?"

Red Wing looked over her shoulder, "What?"

"Well, Brice explained to me why your ship has a red wing and a blue one.  Blue Wing used to be Hanmyo's code or something?"

Red Wing half smiled, "Hanmyo's favorite color was blue.  It just suited her."

"Did she have a tattoo like yours?"

"Don't be stupid," she said. "The last time I saw her we were four.  Why would a little girl get a tattoo?"

"Yeah."  He said, blushing.  "Right."

"Hanmyo isn't like that anyway."

"I don't think you are either," Jim said.

"You don't know me at all," Red Wing muttered.

"I knew Hanmyo," Jim insisted.  "You didn't that tattoo when you were her age either, were you?  You were probably, what, how old?  Fifteen, Sixteen?"

"I was ten," she corrected.

"Close."

"I got this tattoo, this code name, this ship, this team and we began our search for Hanmyo the year I turned ten."

"That's impressive," he said.  "So what's you real name?"

"Hitomi," she replied.

"Hitomi," he whispered.  "Pretty."

She filed through the box, "here it is."  She handed Jim the photo.  "This is Hanmyo's ship.  Have you seen it?"

Jim gasped and his hand began shaking.  "This was her ship?"

"Yes, the Torato," she said, a happy, excited smile appearing on her usual serious, cold face. "You mean, you've--"  She moved closer and pointed to the photo, "you've seen Hanmyo's ship?"

Jim stared down at the photo.  He felt his chest tighten and his lip tremble and his tear ducts get to work.  How was he going to be able to explain to Red Wing--Hitomi--Hanmyo's sister, that Hanmyo was dead?  And because of him?

_TO Be Continued.  Hahaha!  Another cliffhanger! (dodges the tomatoes and paper balls as people demand to hurry up with the next chapter)  Oooh, what happens next! Hahaha!_


	3. Pain & Remorse

**You or Someone Like You 3**

**Pain & Remorse**

_Disclaimer:  I do not own Outlaw Star.  I do own Red Wing/Hitomi and her crew though._

"You've seen Hanmyo's ship?" Hitomi asked eagerly, "Have you?"

How was he going to answer her?  His voice seemed so small.  He nodded lightly.   He'd have to answer a little bit at a time, slow and easy.  'Stay calm, Jim.'  He told himself mentally.

"Y-yes."

"When?  Recently?"

He shook his head.  "Around the time I met Hanmyo."

"How many times have you seen it?"

"Twice.  Once before I saw Hanmyo and again after we met.  It wasn't far from here.  It was in outer space."  He replied.  Now he was having trouble hiding his anxiety.  "I didn't know it was hers."

"I see," she said, nodding.  She let out a sigh.  "Dead end."  She turned around and began looking through the box once again.  "Well, let me see if I can find--"

Jim couldn't believe how easy it was!  He got away with it, but he had to tell her the truth before she found out some other way.  "I swear, Hitomi, I didn't know it was Hanmyo's ship!" he blurted.  "I didn't know!"

Hitomi was shocked by his outburst.  "What?"  She turned back around.

"Hitomi, sit down," he urged.  "I have…have to tell you something…about Hanmyo.  You don't have to keep looking for her."

Hitomi didn't sit down.  She remained standing.  "But she's my sister.  I must find her."

Hitomi--Hanmyo's--Hanmyo's--" he stammered.  He couldn't say it.  But he had to.

"What? What?"

"Hanmyo's gone!" he cried, dropping his head and scrunching his fingers in his hair.  "She's dead!"

"But---how?"  She asked.  "Did you see her ship crash or something?"

"No.  It was a battle."

"With what ship?"

"The outlaw star," he replied, his chest tightening.

"How do you know this, Jim?"

"Because--because I was on Outlaw Star!" he raised his head up.  "I'm Gene Starwind's partner!"

"Gene Starwind," she whispered, "I heard of him…"

"We were attacked by Hanmyo's ship but none of us knew she was the one piloting it!  We just knew that it had to be someone after Jim and we had no choice but to defend ourselves!"

Hitomi swallowed.  So far, she was taking it rather well.  "You said you saw her ship twice."  

"Yes, I saw it once on the way to Symka5," Jim said with a sigh.  He was surprised that she was at least letting him explain.  "That was when we were first attacked.  Then we left Symka5 for a little bit to finish the job.  I made an appointment to see Hanmyo again and I kind of wanted to get the battle over with so I could see her again.  After the battle, I didn't see her or her cats again.  She never showed.  But I swear, I didn't know it was her ship!"

"Her cats," Hitomi whispered, "help piloted the ship.

Jim groaned, 'no, that cats are dead because of me too?'

"I'm so sorry, Hitomi," He apologized, "I'm just so sorry."

"Well, thank you for your information," Hitomi said, reaching for her gun.  "Now I must kill you."  She pointed it right between his eyes.  "After searching for eight years I find that my sister has been dead for seven!  One year would've made the difference.  But she's gone now!  You were the one who took her away for me and for that you shall die!"  Her hand was not steady.  It was shaking but she proceeded to pull the trigger, though her finger felt too weak to pull it.

"I loved Hanmyo!" Jim shouted.

"What?"

"I loved her!" Jim cried, his eyes squeezing shut.  "I know I was just a kid but I knew I was in love with her the moment I saw her.  I loved her hair, her eyes, her smile, her voice--everything!  I loved everything about her.  When she didn't show up at the fountain, I looked everywhere for her.  I carried a huge void inside my heart for seven years, wondering if I'll ever see her again.  She was the only one I wanted to be with…her, or someone like her."  Jim forced his eyes open, "and then, I found you.  Go ahead and shoot me if you think it will help you with your grief, but it won't bring your sister back."

"Get out," she muttered, still holding her gun.

"Huh?"

"I said get outta here!" she hissed, her voice low to keep from shouting.  She didn't want to hear her comrades hear her, know that she was in distress.  "Get outta my sight before I change my mind."

"Oh, thank you!" was all Jim could manage.  "I hope to--"

"Out now!"

Jim turned around quickly, almost tripping over some boxes.  He opened the door and ran toward the exit.  He bumped into Brice.

"I told you your second visit with Red Wing would be no better than your first," Brice said.

Otto grinned and muttered to Brice wondering why Jim wasn't dead yet.

Jim grabbed for the door handle…and paused.  He had to say something.  He couldn't just run out like this.  "I have a message for Hitomi--uh--I mean Red Wing."  He turned and looked at Brice and Otto.  "Tell her if she wants to see me again I'll be at the fountain at 1 PM tomorrow."

"I'll--I'll make sure she gets it," Brice said.

"Thanks."

Brice and Otto turned to each other, "the fountain at 1 PM tomorrow."  Brice said.  "Why one?"

Otto shook his head, "12:30 is much more reasonable."

*****

Flowers in hand, Jim walked to the fountain at one o'clock on the dot.  There, he found Hitomi sitting on the edge of the fountain waiting for him.  "I wasn't sure you'd come."

"Brice and Otto talked me into coming," she said.  "Otto said to meet you at one but he insisted that I come 30 minutes early."  

"Well, one o'clock was when I was supposed to meet Hanmyo," Jim explained.

"I see."  She noticed the flowers.  "What's with the flowers?"

"They're for you."

She scoffed.  "Why?"

"Thought you'd like them," he said.  "To help you with grieving for Hanmyo."

"Jim, I don't need silly flowers to help me cope with the loss of my sister!" she hissed.  "I need to kill someone!"  She held him at gunpoint again.  "You're really Gene Starwind's partner?  You don't look like the kind of guy to be _his_ partner!"

"I know," he said.  "But…I'm still his partner.  If it weren't for me then the Outlaw Star would be scrap metal or something.  He needs me.  My team needs me."

"I should kill you," she said, "I rally should.  You killed my sister.  You were the last one to see her alive--and because you say you love her--I want to keep it that way."

"You're not going to kill me?" he asked, relieved.

"No," she said, walking past him.  "I'll just kill Gene Starwind instead."

"No, Hitomi, don't!" he cried. 

"Don't call me Hitomi!" she hissed, "I am Red Wing!  Understand?"

"All right--Red Wing," he said.  "You can't kill Gene.  He's my partner!  If you're going to kill him, you'll have to kill me too!  And the rest of the Outlaw Star team!"

"How noble of you," Red Wing said, impressed.  

"But you can't kill Gene because you can't kill me.  You can't kill Aisha because, well, she's an immortal Ctarl Ctarl.  You can't kill Suzuka because she'll kill you first!  And you can't kill Melfina because she's the Lady of the Galactic lay line for Heaven's sake!"  Jim shouted.  "We're a team and we destroyed the Jerato as a team!  If you kill one of us, you'll have to kill all of us.  But we weren't the ones who attacked first."

"Oh, so you're saying its Hanmyo's fault that she got killed, huh?" Red Wing demanded.  "If she had just left you alone then she would be alive right now?"

"Well, of course…but it's not her fault either.  It just happened."  He said.  "You can't kill my team.  It won't bring Hanmyo back."

"Yeah…you're right," she said.  "Well, I supposed there's one thing left to do."  She slowly lifted her gun up, the barrel right to the side of her head.

"Hitomi, what are you doing?"

"I want to see my sister again," She replied.  "And this is the ticket in.  Goodbye, Jim."

"HITOMI!  NO!"  He dropped the flowers and rushed over to her.  "You can't!"  He pulled her arm up in the air and the gun went off several times.

_BANG!  BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Click. Click.  Click.  Click_

The gun was out of bullets.  It fell out of Hitomi's hand to the ground.  Jim turned her around.  "Why did you try to kill yourself?" he demanded.  "Are you crazy?"

"You would be too if you found out that the last of your family was killed," she replied tiredly.  "What am I supposed to do?"

"There are better ways to deal with your grief!" he grunted.  "I miss Hanmyo too but I'm not about to kill myself!"

She pushed him away from her and reached inside her pocket.  She pulled out a white envelope with a blue angel's wing sketched on the face of it.  "I was saving this for a last resort."  She said.

"What is it?" 

"A letter to Hanmyo," she replied.  "Wrote it after you left.  Do you remember where in outer space the Outlaw Star battled with the Jerato?"

"I think so," he said.  "Want me to take you there in the Outlaw Star?"

She scowled.  "Go to the place my sister died in the ship that put her there?"

"You're right.  Sorry."

"We'll take my ship," she said.  "The Seeker."

"Okay.  Let's go."

*****

"So, this is the place?" Hitomi asked Jim.

"It was seven years ago," Jim sighed.  "And we fought a lot of ships."

"I see," she said.  "Close enough, I guess."  She took out a capsule and placed the envelope inside.  Then she pushed it a hole, like for a torpedo.  "Goodbye, Hanmyo…rest in peace."  She pressed a button and the capsule holding the envelope shot out into what could have been Hanmyo's dark, airy grave.

Trying to keep herself from becoming emotionally drawn, she dropped her head.  She felt Jim's hand fall on her shoulder.  She flinched and shook it off as she walked away.  

"Hitomi," he whispered.

"No."

He tried touching her again but she pushed him away.  "Hitomi…it's all right.  Let it out."

"Go 'way."

Jim was persistent.  He had to let her know he was there for her and wanted to help her with her grief.  He grabbed her arms and pulled her to him and hugged her tight.  She tried to fight him but his hold was too strong.  

"Just let it out," he said.

Hitomi relaxed.  It was useless to fight him.  She really did someone to comfort her and Jim was the best candidate.  She slid her arms up his back and her hands clasped his shoulders.   He pushed her head to his chest.

"I'm here for you," Jim said.

"Jim…" her eyes welled up with tears and she buried her face in his chest.  "Oh, Jim…Hanmyo…my sister.  She's gone…gone…gone…if only I had started looking for her sooner maybe I would've found her sooner…Oh Hanmyo…Hanmyo…my sister…I'm so sorry…so sorry…"

Her shoulders heaved and her chest tightened up.  Jim held her tighter and rocked her.  "Just let it out," he told her.  "It's okay.  Shh.  Shh.  I'm here."

She did.  Hitomi broke down completely.  She let out a sob and pulled Jim closer to her.  Jim's eyes filled with tears, some of sadness and pain for the loss Hanmyo and some of relief and gratitude that Hitomi was breaking down and dealing with the loss of her sister.  Most of all, he was happy, relieved that he found out what had happened to Hanmyo and even if he didn't find her again, he found someone like her.

**End**


End file.
